VW a tonic for Chattanooga economy

Those numbers give a snapshot of the ongoing economic benefits that Chattanooga and our surrounding area are enjoying thanks to the massive Volkswagen plant at Enterprise South industrial park.

The plant is producing up to 450 cars per day in two shifts, and it is still filling some positions.

But the benefits do not end there.

Employees stand to get quarterly performance bonuses of up to 10 percent of their pay, a VW official told the Times Free Press.

That money, in addition to the regular wages paid at the plant, will multiply throughout our local economy -- for the good of Volkswagen employees but also for all of our residents.

Remarking on Volkswagen's significant contribution to our economy, former Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey declared: "It's like a script. I couldn't have written a better one."

The good news so far -- coupled with the likelihood that Volkswagen will expand its production in coming years from the current Passat to an additional locally produced vehicle -- gives us all reason to be optimistic about Chattanooga's economic prospects.